Peru woman wins Rock Star contest at Starved Rock Lodge

There’s a new rock star in the Illinois Valley- Kayla Magnafici of Peru beat out eight other contestants over five weeks of competition at Starved Rock Lodge.  The Rock Star contest was sponsored by Starved Rock Lodge, 99.3 WAJK, 96.5 WOLF, Euclid Beverage and MillerCoors.

The finals were Wednesday night.  Magnafici received $1,000 for winning.  Taking second place was Harmony Donaldson of Lostant and third place went to Sarah Breyne of Wenona.

Leslie Crum of Ottawa took fourth place. Greg Valos of Chicago was awarded the Fan Favorite trophy.

Peru alderman wants action for problem property

You can’t have old cars without plates and stickers cluttering your property.  You also can’t have tall weeds.  These are a few of the gripes Peru Alderman Rodney Perez has with a property at Third and Putnam Streets.  He’s complained about it before to Building and Zoning Inspector Frank Taylor, but it doesn’t look like it’s doing much good.

Perez called Taylor out during Wednesday night’s city council meeting.  When asked if Taylor was going to take action against the property owner, Taylor replied that he was going to give them more time to clean up their site.  Taylor says the property owner is making progress.

His answer didn’t sit well with Perez who says the property owner has already had 60 days.

Alderman Sherry Mayszak agreed.  She accused Taylor of not handling each property owner equally and gave an example of a woman that was given seven days to get a sticker for a truck on her property.

Mayor Scott Harl says he agrees with the way Taylor is handling the situation.

Rezin Reacts To Quinn’s Budget Address

The State Senator that represents the Illinois Valley said the governor’s budget address felt like Groundhog’s Day.  Republican Sue Rezin said we’re in the same position we’ve been in for the last several budget addresses.  Governor Pat Quinn gave his address Wednesday afternoon.

And while Quinn, a democrat, criticized lawmakers for not having passed pension reforms, Rezin says they’ve been honest with the people.  She says it’s time for the governor and the majority to lead.

Rezin called Quinn’s proposed cuts to education drastic and something that the republican caucus has never supported.

Local celebs to raise money for United Way

There aren’t a lot of celebrity sightings in the Illinois Valley but if you go out Saturday night you could bumped into a few popular names.  Local people with big personalities will be bar-tending at Sidetracks in Peru and Senica’s Oak Ridge in La Salle for the United Way.

Julie Sloan is the Executive Director of the local United Way office.  She says the tips that are raised will go to United Way.

Sloan says the night will be a fun way for them to give back to the community.  Celebrities will be working in pairs starting at 7pm and serving until 11pm.

The money will go towards their annual campaign.  That money eventually goes to other non-profits like the Illinois Valley YMCA and the Illinois Valley Food Pantry.

Learn more about it by listening to an interview with Sloan at the AM 1220 WLPO news page.

UPDATE: Firefighter Killed on I-39 Crash named

HUDSON, Ill. (AP) – Authorities say a central Illinois firefighter was killed and five of his colleagues injured when a tractor-trailer hit three emergency vehicles.

The emergency responders were working the scene of an Interstate 39 accident Tuesday night when a tractor-trailer hauling a load of automobiles lost control and hit three of the emergency vehicles belonging to the Hudson Community Fire Protection District and the Illinois State Police.

Authorities say 39-year-old firefighter Christopher Brown died. He was a career Bloomington firefighter and a married father of two children.

All of the injured were taken to a hospital in Normal with injuries not considered life-threatening.

Fire destroys a Princeton restaurant

Questions remain about the cause of a fire that destroyed a restaurant in downtown Princeton.  A woman driving by Habanero’s Mexican Grill and Cantina noticed smoke and called the fire department around 1:30am Wednesday.

Princeton Fire Chief Chuck Woley says the roof and second floor of the building gave away about 20 minutes after they arrived.  13 departments worked overnight to knock down the fire.

Four people were told to leave a couple of neighboring buildings as the fire grew.  It took them two hours to bring it under control.  Woley says those buildings were left with some smoke and water damage but the fire was kept to just the restaurant.

The State Fire Marshall’s Office is helping to figure out how it started.

 

Dwight Prison Closing By End Of Month

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) – The Associated Press has learned the Illinois women’s prison in Dwight will close by March 31 after a complicated move of hundreds of inmates, including the temporary placement of 500 prisoners in gymnasiums.

Gov. Pat Quinn ordered Dwight penitentiary closed to save money. But state officials have not revealed how and when the women’s facility would be shuttered.

A draft Department of Corrections memo obtained yesterday by the AP indicates the closure process began Feb. 28, with the transfer of male inmates at Logan Correctional Center in Lincoln to prisons in Canton, Centralia, Danville, Hillsboro, and Vienna. The women from Dwight will then move into the vacated cells at Logan.

Dozens of people commute from La Salle County to work at the Dwight prison.

Preliminary Snowfall Amounts

How much snow did you measure? Whatever the amount its sure to be the most this winter.

According to preliminary snowfall reports of the National Weather Service, 11 inches was measured in Streator, 7 inches in Yorkville and 6 inches in Princeton.  Outside the AM 1220 WLPO studios in Oglesby the unofficial snow amount is 8 inches.

The next chance of snow is next Monday.